Thank you Madam Chair,

Every country in the world, including in the OSCE region, is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. It is a complex and hidden crime that respects neither borders nor jurisdictions and preys on the most vulnerable in society.

Tomorrow’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons allows us to reflect and shine a light upon modern slavery and human trafficking. And for us all to come together to end this despicable abuse of human rights.

The UK Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking by 2030. But we know that combatting the trafficking of human beings requires a whole-of-society approach.

That is why, in September, the UK strengthened our Modern Slavery Act and extended the duty to report on steps taken to prevent modern slavery to all public bodies with a budget of over 36 million pounds. All UK government departments – including our foreign ministry – will publish Modern Slavery Statements in the autumn. And a full review of our Modern Slavery strategy will be published in the spring next year.

As we know, the effort must also be international – it is a global problem and requires a global response. That is the case now more than ever, especially since COVID-19 has increased the risk of exploitation of workers and increased the risks to those vulnerable to modern slavery. This includes joint action on forced labour in global supply chains.

The OSCE is well placed to tackle this transnational issue. I would like to thank Valiant Richey and his team in the Office for their excellent work. The UK is pleased to be able to continue to provide financial support to the OSCE project on trafficking in supply chains.

But there is more that participating States can do. For a start, I would urge OSCE States to consider signing up to the “Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking,” launched by the UK at the UN General Assembly in 2017.

To date, the Call to Action has received over 90 country endorsements and we continue to work with countries to turn these commitments into action. This is a sign of the growing international consensus to tackle this heinous crime.

Second, we should review our national track records on implementing the impressive body of OSCE commitments on combatting human trafficking, and, drawing on the valuable OSCE support and resources, scrutinise our own national government supply chains.

Finally, we can do more to build the evidence base to better understand the drivers and vulnerabilities to modern slavery in different sectors and country contexts. The Alliance conference this year, with its focus on demand, provided useful insight on this issue. With a greater understanding of the drivers of modern slavery, we can employ more tools and tactics in the fight.

Thank you.

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• COP26 President Alok Sharma visits Saudi Arabia to discuss climate action ahead of the vital climate change summit in November

• Mr Sharma set to meet members of Saudi government, business leaders and civil society on ramping up the global transition to net zero by the middle of the century

• The importance of unleashing the development of high growth, high employment green sectors through climate action will be a key focus of the visit

COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma will travel to Saudi Arabia today to discuss ramping up global action on climate change ahead of the vital UN Climate Change talks in Glasgow this November.

The COP26 President-Designate is set to meet with ministers including the Minister for Energy, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadly. Mr Sharma will also meet with business leaders and civil society to discuss international collaboration on the transition to net zero by the middle of the century.

The UK is keen to build on commitments made during the recent G20 Environmental Ministerial in Naples where ministers agreed to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

This included accelerating climate action in the 2020s and submitting ambitious 2030 targets for reducing emissions ahead of COP26, aligned with keeping the 1.5 degree limit temperature increases in reach.

On his visit, Mr Sharma is expected to encourage Saudi Arabia to build on recent progress on climate issues, including the Kingdom’s Green Initiative, and projects to support coral reef survival and address land degradation, to chart a path towards a sustainable and inclusive recovery from Covid-19.

COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma said: “I am delighted to be in Riyadh to build on a strong, modern partnership with Saudi Arabia to address the global threat of climate change.

“The launch of the Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative was an important step as we look to accelerate climate action ahead of COP26 and the UK welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 for creating a more diverse and sustainable economy.

“Indeed, climate action can pave the way to an exciting vision of our future that is good for the planet and the economy, as the plans for the green city of Neom and sustainable development for tourism on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast show.

“But we must act now to reduce emissions throughout the next ten years and to reach net zero by the middle of the century, allowing us to build a greener, prosperous and more inclusive future and avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

“We look forward to working with Saudi Arabia to deliver on this ahead of COP26, noting our responsibility to young people and to future generations to do so.”

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